Sunday letters

Sunday

May 12, 2013 at 12:01 AM

OK Medicaid expansion

Once again our Legislature has betrayed us. Florida has a majority of Democrats but the Republicans' almost two-thirds majority in the Legislature has failed us by not extending Medicaid to the 1.2 million Floridians who have no health insurance coverage. Even though a majority of Floridians supported that extension, the Legislature ignored their wishes.

We are turning down $55 billion in federal assistance, which could have helped the most needy among us. This is money which has come from all federal taxpayers, Floridians included, but now we must dig deeper for tax dollars here to pay the costs of those uninsured who will come to our emergency rooms, often needing admission to our tax-supported hospitals. Most uninsured end up at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, a public hospital, not at the for-profit Doctors Hospital. We will have to pay the costs of these uninsured with our local taxes. Statewide the bill for charity care is $2.8 billion, of which $1.2 billion could be paid by Medicaid expansion.

Governor Scott said he was in favor of taking the federal money to expand Medicaid but he did nothing to push for it in the Legislature. Tell the governor that he should call the Legislature back into session and press them to take the federal money and provide decent medical care for needy Florida citizens. He can't just take credit for his support of Medicaid without doing something about it!

Barbara Thornton

Sarasota

Finding understanding

I recently received a call from doctor who spent two years with me as general officer on my orthopedic service in the Air Force, stationed in Texas during the Vietnam War. He looked me up after over 40 years to thank me for being an inspiration to him as he went on to become an orthopedic surgeon. During our hour-long talk, he was surprised we each had done volunteer work in the Third World -- me in Africa and he in Afghanistan -- during the '80s.

His experience, like mine, brought great satisfaction. The story of his experience in teaching Mujahideen caregivers in northern Afghanistan struck me as being close to the way we could solve much of the conflict in the Middle East. A Muslim physician who had bonded with him asked him if he was Christian, to which he answered no. After a long pause the man asked if he was a Jew and he said yes. The complexion of the conversation changed and his pupil went into a tirade over the Israeli/Palestinian situation. My friend politely asked to drop it until after they were done with surgery, when he explained why he was there teaching him.

Two months later my friend, Myles Cohen, who had been told not to reveal his religion to anyone else for his safety, got a letter from Afghanistan written in broken English saying his pupil now understood that we are all put on this earth to help one another and if everyone thought of it that way we wouldn't be where we are now.

Getting one angry Muslim to think that way is great. To get everyone to do the same may take a miracle.

Ernie Pellegrino, M.D.

Bradenton

History lessons

Thomas Becnel's story on the Calusa Indians was excellent and well written. It got me to thinking that since so many of us are immigrants to this area (from the North and other places) and since so many of us live in encapsulated communities, what a wonderful opportunity it would be for us to gain knowledge about the rich history of our adopted home state.

I learned so much in that one article that I implore your paper to print a series of other informative pieces on Florida and/or our area in particular. It could be an opportunity for enlightenment that would glow for years.

Eileen Corrigan O'Neill

Lakewood Ranch

Helping MOMS and kids

MOMS Club recently hosted the first two of three storefront fundraisers at Publix supermarkets in Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch to help Feeding Empty Little Tummies collect food for homeless children in Manatee County. As expected and much appreciated, hundreds of community members supported our efforts.

"The outpouring of the community was amazing! People came from all over asking how they could help, and turning out grocery carts full of food for the kids," said Jolene Thoenes, a MOMS Club member who spent four hours in front of Lakewood Ranch raising food and money for FELT.

There are restrictions on food donated, though, since you can't pack a whole can of soup for a small kid's backpack. Instead everything is in half-sizes.

The stories people shared with us were touching. One woman who donated two full bags of food said, "I am very blessed and, when I can, I try to give back."

Perhaps most touching was watching children come up to the table and hand us a dollar, to help feed the FELT children. Some people even drove up to the table with cash donations and wished us well.

Thank you, Manatee County community, for such an outpouring of wonderful support!

Kristina Rupp

Bradenton

For a path to citizenship

Congress should protect the path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, and pass reform this year.

Overwhelming majorities of Americans support a pathway. Our immigration laws are broken, and the undocumented need our help finding a solution.

Some extremists are still suggesting self-deportation. That's not realistic. We need real solutions. Rounding up millions of people or asking them to leave is inhumane and fixes nothing.

That's why I hope my senators will do the right thing and vote for the Senate's immigration bill.

Tommy Vidal

Sarasota

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